Ohio State football: Hyde eludes charges but not Meyer

Wednesday

Jul 31, 2013 at 12:01 AMJul 31, 2013 at 9:10 AM

Carlos Hyde will escape the wrath of the law, but not of Urban Meyer. The Columbus police department announced yesterday afternoon that charges would not be filed against the Ohio State senior running back for his role in an altercation with a woman at a Downtown bar.

Carlos Hyde will escape the wrath of the law, but not of Urban Meyer.

The Columbus police department announced yesterday afternoon that charges would not be filed against the Ohio State senior running back for his role in an altercation with a woman at a Downtown bar.

But Hyde did not escape the punishment of Meyer. Last night, the Ohio State coach suspended Hyde for at least the first three games of the season.

In a brief statement released through the athletics communications department, Meyer said that Hyde had acted in a way "not representative of this football program or this university." Meyer said that Hyde would be required to fulfill unspecified "additional obligations" before he is allowed to play in a game.

Hyde ran for 970 yards and 16 touchdowns last season despite missing time because of a sprained knee. He will miss at least the Buffalo, San Diego State and California games, with a possible return against Florida A&M.

Hyde had been on indefinite suspension since a July 20 incident at Sugar Bar 2 at 303 S. Front St. in which he was alleged to have struck a 19-year-old woman, Ashley Pavolino.

Disrespect of women is a violation of what Meyer calls the "core values" for his team that are posted on the wall of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

Surveillance video from Sugar Bar 2 shows that Hyde and Pavolino, 19, took swings at one another after a brief chat.

When Hyde, 22, first appears on the silent, grainy video, he chats with another man for a few seconds. His friend appears to point out a woman who is dancing on a raised platform.

Hyde tries to get her attention and walks up a few stairs to talk to her. They talk for about 35 seconds before Hyde points his finger at her.

Pavolino swings at his head with her right hand, and then he tries to slap her face with his left hand. It is unclear whether either made contact. After the encounter, Hyde walks down a few stairs and out of the camera's view. Several people came to Pavolino's aid.

Hyde was named as a "person of interest" in a report Pavolino filed. Investigators met with her, and she told them she did not want to press charges. She did not return a call seeking comment.

Pavolino did release a statement to NBC4 saying that the media coverage of the incident has been "overwhelming, frustrating and disappointing. It is unimaginable to be exposed to these false reports, claims and rumors."

Hyde and Pavolino have two years to pursue misdemeanor assault if they choose to, police said.

With Hyde out for the beginning of the season, junior Rod Smith is expected to get the first crack to start at what remains a deep, talented running back position. Training camp starts on Sunday for the Buckeyes, who are favored to win the Big Ten title.

While the Hyde matter is resolved for now, one involving another prominent Ohio State player remains unsettled.

Redshirt junior cornerback Bradley Roby, regarded as an All-America candidate, was arrested on July 22 after an incident at a Bloomington, Ind., bar.

According to court records from Monroe (Ind.) County, Roby has a pretrial conference on Aug. 26, five days before Ohio State's opener against Buffalo.

Insiders on the OSU football team who saw Roby after he returned to Columbus told The Dispatch that it appeared he had been roughed up. There was no speculation about the culprit.

In Chicago at the Big Ten media days, Meyer was asked about consequences for Roby.

"I think there'll be disciplined involved," Meyer said. "I imagine there'll be some suspension involved, and he'll be on a very short leash."

Asked if he was worried about Roby heading in the wrong direction, Meyer replied, "I know Roby pretty well. I know his mom very well. I know what's deep in his heart very well.

"Am I worried about that? I am worried about it. Do I think that will happen? I don't believe that will happen."